What I’ve put together here is a Fantasy D6 system. I built it for magic to be relatively rare through most of the world, though more common in certain areas. It is based off the Force System in Star Wars, but with some changes to make it less complicated. Base humans start with 12D attribute dice to put into the six standard attributes and 2 magical attributes, channelling and casting. More on that in the magic section.

I’ve put together stat profiles for High Elves, Half Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, Animal Men (Minotaurs, Kobolds, etc), Vampires, Dragons, Ogres, Trolls, Skeletons, & Zombies. I have general histories for most of the races.

I’ve put together creation guidelines for magical artifacts.

I’ve got a system for dealing with the undead.

I’ve got a general world map that needs to be fleshed out.

I’ve got ideas for how to use Technical and Mechanical skills in a fantasy setting.

If there’s anything else you think we need or anything that I need to expand on, let me know.

All races were originally human until they were changed by magic. Dwarves were created by the High Elves to be better miners. High Elves created themselves to have a limited form of immortality. Animal men are magical attempts to cross men with animals. (I tend to think of these people as being similar to Disneyï¿½s Animated Robin Hood).

Dragons are the result of people being crossed with drakes or wyrms or whatever you think Dinosaurs should be called in a fantasy world. Various Dragon types are from being crossed with different dinosaur types.

When creating races I balance them with attribute points and banes. Humans start with 12 attributes as a minimum and 24 maximum. If a new race has 12 attribute points as a minimum and 24 attribute points as a maximum, and no racial abilities then they are balanced. I balance out racial abilities by reducing the number of starting attribute dice for the race. Or I give them a bane, something that does double or triple damage to them or can kill them outright.

As an individual being, or a race, becomes more magical they have to deal with banes. Banes are the result of magic balancing itself when there is too much magic in a single being.

For example, Vampires are superhumanly strong, undead, and able to shift shape. Consequently they have banes for garlic, rosewood and a never quenching thirst for blood, as well as the normal bane of sunlight and fire for the undead. All undead also cannot bear to be on holy ground or touch holy people.

Returning to Banes on an individual level, generally they come into play when a character/npcï¿½s attribute or skill is enhanced by 3D or more. Being enchanted with extra abilities that can affect gameplay. When establishing a bane for an individual, the bane should affect gameplay and be relevant. A bane against snow could affect gameplay, but it would be irrelevant in a tropical setting.

The initial bane is an allergy to iron. The magnetic properties of iron interfere with magic. The more enchanted a person gets the less they can stand the touch of iron. As you get more enchanted the more damage iron does to you.

ELVES

10 Attribute points at character creation

STR 1D/5D
DEX 1D/5D
PER 2D/5D
KNO 2D/5D
TEC 1D/5D
MEC 1D/5D

CHN 1D/8D
CAS 1D/5D

Racial Abilities:
Immortality - Elves will not die unless they are killed. After the age of 100, Elves can raise their attributes to 5D with no penalty.
Healing - Elves can channel magic into themselves to heal, once per hour. The higher they role the more they heal. Can only be used out of combat.
Channelling Maximum: Elves can raise their channelling attribute to 8D with no penalty.

The elves have no bane. The healing skill is the only one that has an immediate effect on gameplay and can only be used out of combat. The other abilities trade a lower starting attribute for extended levelling much later in the game.

Elven history: The elves started as a conclave of wizards who were seeking immortality. They found a version of it in the transformation to elves. Eventually they left their city to seek out a new homeland for their new society. They created a plateau out of a mountain with a river flowing through it and built their city there. It is a lush paradise.

Some elves of the later generations have left the high city and taken to the woods. They do not spend their days practicing and studying magic. They have married and bred with the humans of the forests. This is where the majority of half elves come from. These small villages and encampments throughout the wonderlands are one of the few places to see elves, half elves and humans living side by side.

Elves have a low birthrate. Elven women go through menopause at the same time human women do. However, elves are not considered adults until they are forty years old. There are spells to allow for fertility after menopause. Female elves have children when they choose to.

Elves created the Dwarves and the Frog people. Half elves are obviously the descendants of elves and humans. Elves are directly responsible for the creation of the wonderlands.

Elves are generally good. They tend to understand that their actions have consequences and choose to be responsible with their actions.

Half Elves

12 Attribute points at character creation

STR 1D/5D
DEX 2D/5D
PER 2D/5D
KNO 2D/5D
TEC 2D/5D
MEC 2D/5D

CHN 1D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Racial Abilities:
Immortality - Elves will not die unless they are killed. After the age of 100, Elves can raise their attributes to 5D with no penalty.

Half Elves are children of elves and humans, generally found in the woods of the wonderlands. Half Elves receive immortality from their elven half and the versatility of the human half. I balanced them by transferring a die of their minimum attributes from Strength to Channelling.

Half Elves are welcome in the high city, though they rarely feel comfortable there for long. Half Elves live among the dwarves and frog men of the wonderlands. While elves have been known to leave the wonderlands to explore the world, Half Elves are much more likely to leave the wonderlands. Half Elves have been known around the world, though their children are usually fully human.

Half Elves are also born to human women from elven fathers outside of the wonderlands. It is rare to have an elven mother outside of the wonderlands because elven women only give birth when they want to. See the Elves.

Dwarves

12 Attribute points at character creation

STR 3D/6D
DEX 2D/5D
PER 1D+1/3D
KNO 1D+2/3D
TEC 3D/5D
MEC 1D/2D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Move: 8/10

Racial Abilities:
Magnetic Navigation: Dwarves always know where magnetic north and magnetic south is. They can lose this ability on an individual level if they get too many enchantments.

The elves traded enchantments for goods and services. None benefited more from this than the small mining community near the High city. They were the first to be enchanted by the elves, and they do not regret it. It began with the charms and totems the Elves traded with them. Then some of the miners commissioned a group of elves to mix dogs and moles to create a domesticated animal that would dig for them. When the ï¿½dolesï¿½ proved to be a great success the villagers wanted more magic in their lives. The dwarven transmogrification became the stepping stone to a permanent alliance between the dwarves and the elves.

Dwarves are exactly like humans until puberty. At puberty Dwarves stop getting taller and start growing wider, gaining considerable muscle mass. Most dwarves are between 4-5 feet tall. A few are as tall as 5ï¿½6ï¿½.

Dwarves tend to live a bit longer than humans, as they are much hardier. While humans may live to 80 or 90 years old, dwarves will live to be 120 or 150. This pales in comparison to the Elves, but it is worth noting. Dwarves tend to be very heavy, what with their increased muscle mass. Consequently, they do not float well, though they often make excellent swimmers through sheer strength. Also, they are too heavy to ride for all but the strongest horses. They can ride in carts, carriages and chariots.

The dwarves expanded from one village to many, eventually forming a kingdom inside the wonderlands. They founded a second kingdom, outside the wonderlands. Dwarves can be found in some human settlements. Half human, half dwarves tend to be human or dwarven. I donï¿½t see the need to build another race for them.

Frog Men

11 Attribute points at character creation

STR 2D/4D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 2D/4D
KNO 2D/4D
TEC 1D/3D
MEC 2D/4D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Racial Attributes:
Underwater Breathing
2D for 1D in swimming and climb/jump at character creation.

The first of the animen were the frogs. There was a raiding village in one of the fjords of the wonderlands. Vikings, pirates, call them what you will. They came to the High city seeking to get their slaves crossed with frogs. The advantages of having aquatic slaves was obvious. The Elves refused. In their quest for immortality some of the initial cabal had travelled down the road of necromancy. The lessons they learned from that cost them a great deal. Now the elves studiously avoided evil, like enchanting the unwilling. But the slaves proved themselves willing. When their masters saw the advantage of amphibianism, they came to the High city to trade for enchantment.

The frog men of the wonderlands are the stuff of legends. Some good, some bad. Their villages are up and down the coast of the wonderlands, especially in the fjords. They also have smaller villages up and down the river that flows through the wonderlands. Parts of all of these villages are underwater. Some villages are entirely underwater. They are the greatest fishermen in the world. They are renowned traders, up and down the seacoast. And they are the greatest pirates in the world.

Frog men sailing crews may have humans, dwarves, kobolds or half elves in them, but they are mostly made up of frog men.

Frog men are not as centralized as the dwarves. They are not as good as the elves. Each village is different, but overall they would be considered neutral.

Kobolds

11 Attribute points at character creation

STR 2D/4D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 2D/4D
KNO 1D/3D
TEC 2D/4D
MEC 2D/4D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Move 12/15

Racial Attributes:
+2D to search by smell

Kobolds trade 1 attribute die for a search bonus and a greater move.

The kobolds started as members of one of the frogmen villages, before they all became frog men. They saw what the elves could do for the frog men and decided to ascend the mountain to the High City. They were hunters and wanted to be better at it. They paid for it by offering an ongoing tribute of game and meat to the elves. The feast of the kobolds is famous throughout the wonderlands. It has become the one night everyone comes to the High City to feast. Dwarves, Elves, Humans, Half Elves, Frog Men, Centaurs, and Kobolds bring their finest delicacies and feast together under the protection of the High City Watch.

Most of the year, the kobolds are the most aggressive of the people of the wonderlands. They are fiercely territorial and are known to attack those that intrude. These attacks are usually to chase them out of kobold territory, not to kill.

Kobolds are mostly hunters, and tend to have skills related to hunting, skinning, tanning, weapon crafting, etc. They have the smallest population in the wonderlands; having started with the smallest group.

Kobold society is very family, or clan, oriented. Because of the low population, all marriages are between different clans. No marriages are allowed inside a single clan. Kobold men join the clan of their wife. Men and women have their places inside daily life, but both sexes are hunters. Men tend to handle trade with other clans and races. They can vote at clan meetings. Women rear the pups and settle disputes inside the family.

Orcs (& Goblins)

Orcs

11 Attribute points at character creation

STR 3D/5D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 3D/5D
KNO 1D/3D
TEC 1D/3D
MEC 1D/3D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Racial Abilities:
Limb Regeneration - Once they at full health the next day they can roll to regrow a lost limb. Three easy rolls (one a day) can regrow a full limb, two moderate, or one difficult.
Berserker Frenzy - To be determined.

Goblins

6 Attribute points at character creation

STR 1D/4D
DEX 1D/6D
PER 1D/7D
KNO 1D/6D
TEC 1D/6D
MEC 1D/4D

CHN 0D/6D
CAS 0D/5D

Racial Abilities:
Limb Regeneration - Once they at full health the next day they can roll to regrow a lost limb. Three easy rolls (one a day) can regrow a full limb, two moderate, or one difficult.
Claws - STR +1D
+2D to Search
At Character Creation 2D for 1D for Melee combat, Brawling, Dodge, Sneak, Throwing.
At Character Creation Goblins get 3 extra Attribute Dice, instead of the normal 6.
At Character Creation Goblins get 10 skill dice instead of 7.

It started as a territory dispute between warlords in the great forest. These were minor warlords, men who had earned their land in the war for the greatest parts of the Great Plains, the fertile river lands to the east of the great forest. These men warred amongst themselves for the scraps their kings had given them. They crossed their soldiers, their serfs and their slaves to get better warriors. The three main animals used were lizards, boars, and rats.

Lizards were used for their regeneration, mostly. A wounded soldier would be back in fighting shape in a matter of weeks. Rats and mice were used for their breeding speed and quick growth rate. Boars were prized for their ferocity and strength, and general docility out of combat.

Their mages were competent enough to do transformations, however, they were not as stable as transformations done by the Elves. Elves prided themselves on their creations keeping their humanity. These transformations brought animal instincts into these animal men, which was part of the reason they didn't use more ferocious animals. They were not stable. When these creatures then bred between themselves, monstrous chimeras occurred. The animal men got harder to control with each generation, but they also stablized into two distinct races: Orcs & Goblins.

Orcs were mighty warriors. Strong, swift and with great senses. They worked together well and retained most of their humanity though they tended to be quite savage. They could even regrow limbs, so unless you killed an Orc, you would likely see them on the battlefield again some day. Orcs tend to run things in their culture. They are the Smiths, the artificers, the leaders of the mercenary teams, the mages.

Goblins are small, mindless and everywhere. They breed like rats, fight like rats and have the morality of rats. Most Goblins die young, either from warfare, accident or pure stupidity. The few who make it to adulthood have graduated from the school of hard knocks with multiple doctorates. Adult Goblins are smart, mean and devastating warriors. Most clan chieftains are elder Goblins.

Notes: Goblins are designed to be used as fodder for PC encounters. An adventuring team that gets jumped by two Orcs and six Goblins has a fight on their hands. People like to play as Orcs these days, so I made the Goblins a long term pay off race. If someone is willing to start with all those disadvantages and put in the time and character points necessary to make an overpowered character, then they have earned it. Also, an adult Goblin could make a great big bad for the group to contend against.

The Orcs and Goblins came into existence as the fight for the fertile river lands came to its zenith, destroying the most fertile land on the continent and turning it into the Frostlands. The Orcs and Goblins control the only viable land route between the north and south of the continent. If they were a bit smarter and a bit more organized they would build a toll road and make a fortune.

The clans war against each other and war against the outside. Humans, Centaurs, anyone daring to approach the great forest.

Inside the Orclands are two spots even the Orcs avoid: the Troll swamp and Mount Dark. The Troll Swamp is a swamp full of trolls and a castle ruin filled with undead. Mount Dark is the largest Ogre community on the continent.

Notes: The scale bonuses balance out to a zero net gain. Channelled Strength is balanced with the Cold Bane. Ogres stand 9 - 10 feet tall, with some reaching heights of 12 feet.

The spell for creating Ogres is well known and older than the elves. It is much easier than an animal cross. Some conclaves make quite a bit of money enchanting people into Ogres. Most people who become Ogres do so willingly; warriors, criminals, and the like. Besides, why would you give that much strength to someone you didn't trust and didnï¿½t want it? Ogres are not as mechanically or technically inclined as humans, but are certainly as smart as humans.

If an Ogre and a human breed, the enchant does not transfer to the child. It is only transferred to the next generation if two ogres breed.

Consequently, Ogre communities are rare. It is rare for women to choose to become Ogres. Most men do it for their jobs, and don't want to raise Ogre children.

And then there was Rick, the Ogre Mage Knight Mercenary. Rick was the bastard son of some noble man. He was raised in the manor house and trained in the ways of combat and the rudiments of magic. He had no inheritance, so from a young age he knew he would have to earn his place in this world. Upon reaching adulthood, Rick chose to undergo the Ogre enchantment. He started as a knight, serving his father, but soon left to fight in foreign wars and earn his fortune. Rick formed a mercenary group, all ogres, male and female. He would go on to earn his fortune and his legend. Rick married Marie, one of his mercenaries, and founded the first Ogre community at Mount Dark in the great forest.

While Ogre communities are rare, Ogres are not. Many kings have Ogres in their personal guard, even rich merchants employ them. Ogres are built to be a big bad in an encounter. If a human character were to undergo the Ogre enchant their TEC & MEC attributes go down by 1D and their STR & DEX attributes go up by 1D.

Centaurs

10 Attribute points at character creation

STR 2D/4D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 2D/4D
KNO 2D/4D
TEC 1D/3D
MEC 1D/3D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Move 30/40

Racial Abilities:
Horse legs - Centaur move at three times that of a human being and have the stamina to run for hours. Centaur start with 3 additional dice in Stamina. This does not come out of their 7 starting skill dice.

The centaur race started with a group of nomadic hunters who traveled to the High City to barter for an enchant. As nomads on the great plains they had met various transmogrified people and animal men. It was the Dwarves and Frog Men who convinced them that the Elves were the greatest mages and the ones who could give them what they wanted. The nomads brought with them magic relics from across the villages and cultures of the great plains to trade. The Elves were so impressed they offered to send a group of elves to meet the entire nomad clan and enchant them all into centaurs. The centaurs make a yearly pilgrimage to attend the Feast of Kobolds, bringing trinkets and treasures from across half the continent as well as meat from the mega fauna that live on the plains.

The Centaurs would go on to become the dominate race of the Great Plains. There are far more humans on the Great Plains than any other species, but it is the Centaurs who everyone associates with the plains. They hunt the great mega fauna of the plains: elephants, bison, antelope, bears, the great cats, and other exotic creatures.

Last edited by Kytross on Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:23 pm; edited 1 time in total

If you are interested in incorporating fantasy races into Star Wars, you should check out Warhammer 40,000._________________"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
Jar-Jar Deb Kaadeb

Undead can be played as player races. An undead party would be an interesting group. However, they are more likely to be used as antagonists to the player party. Advanced undead, Mummies, Vampires and Liches, are raised with the attributes and skills they had when they died.

Except for Sangesylvania and the Troll Swamp, Undead do not generally have communities.

Skeletons

12 Attribute points at character creation

STR 2D/4D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 2D/4D
KNO 2D/4D
TEC 2D/4D
MEC 2D/4D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Racial Abilities:
Undead - Undead die when exposed to sunlight for a full minute. Undead take double damage against fire. The undead spell fails completely on holy ground or the touch of a holy person. Mortals in melee range of undead must make a moderate willpower roll to not run in fear. Undead do not lose die when wounded. Undead do not eat or breathe. Undead can be reraised if they are killed.

Skeletons are the most common form of undead. They are the easiest form of undead to raise, though the spell is advanced. They have no memories from their former lives, so Skeletons are fairly easily enchanted to be controlled by a necromancer. As they accumulate memories they become harder to control.

Skeletons do not decay and will not die unless they are killed. Skeletons do not need to eat or sleep. Like the mortal races, Skeletons learn skills and can increase attributes. The great Death Knights have been Skeletons who have learned combat skills and become deadly warriors.

Zombies

8 Attribute points at character creation

STR 3D/5D
DEX 1D/5D
PER 4D/7D
KNO 0D/0D
TEC 0D/0D
MEC 1D/3D

CHN 0D/0D
CAS 0D/0D

Move: 5/8

Racial Abilities:
Zombie Undead - Zombies take double damage against fire. The Zombie spell fails completely on holy ground or the touch of a holy person. Mortals in melee range of Zombies must make a moderate willpower roll to not run in fear. Zombies do not lose die when wounded. Zombies do not eat or breathe.

Zombies were created to survive in sunlight. This was accomplished but at the cost of losing their entire intelligence, and a great deal of speed. Because of their lack of intelligence, Zombies are easy to control by a necromancer. Zombies decay over time, unless they feed regularly. If they don't feed for a week they will start to decay, losing 1 pip per attribute per week. When their strength total is gone, they die. Feeding once brings them back to full health.

NOTE: I am seriously considering decreasing the perception attribute and instead give Zombies a large skill bonus to Search, Sneak and other specific skills. Zombies are not supposed to be player races. I am also considering removing the mechanical attribute.

Revenants

12 Attribute points at character creation

STR 2D/4D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 2D/4D
KNO 2D/4D
TEC 2D/4D
MEC 2D/4D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Racial Abilities:
Undead - Undead die when exposed to sunlight for a full minute. Undead take double damage against fire. The undead spell fails completely on holy ground or the touch of a holy person. Mortals in melee range of undead must make a moderate willpower roll to not run in fear. Undead do not lose die when wounded. Undead do not eat or breathe. Undead can be reraised if they are killed.

Revenants began as early attempts to achieve immortality through necromancy. They look like living corpses, looking much like zombies when they are initially raised. Like Zombies, Revenants decay over time, physically and mentally, eventually dying again and must feed to combat these effects. If they don't feed for a week they will start to decay, losing 1 pip per attribute per week. When their strength total is gone, they die. Feeding once brings them back to full health. Unlike Zombies, Revenants cannot survive in sunlight.

Revenants are raised with all their memories intact, making them difficult for necromancers to control with enchantment. In turn, Revenants are rare. Accomplished Necromancers rarely raise revenants as Skeletons are easier to raise and make better minions. Most Revenants are raised by amateur necromancers.

Mummies

12 Attribute points at character creation

STR 2D/4D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 2D/4D
KNO 2D/4D
TEC 2D/4D
MEC 2D/4D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Racial Abilities:
Undead - Undead die when exposed to sunlight for a full minute. Undead take double damage against fire. The undead spell fails completely on holy ground or the touch of a holy person. Mortals in melee range of undead must make a moderate willpower roll to not run in fear. Undead do not lose die when wounded. Undead do not eat or breathe. Undead can be reraised if they are killed.

Mummies are one of the first relatively successful attempts at immortality through necromancy. Mummies are raised with their memories intact, and are often great necromancers or rulers in their previous life. Like Zombies and Revenants, Mummies decay over time. If they don't feed for a week they will start to decay, losing 1 pip per attribute per week. When their strength total is gone, they die. Feeding once brings them back to full health. While they can feed on the living to fight this decay, Mummies can also slumber in their coffins (sarcophagus) to rejuvenate and restore themselves. Great mummies may have lesser mummies defending their tombs.

Mummies can be created in from any human culture.

To completely kill a mummy you must find the mummyï¿½s tomb and destroy it. The coffin and all the mummified organs must be destroyed. If they are not destroyed, then the mummy can be raised again without the corpse.

Liches

12 Attribute points at character creation

STR 2D/4D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 2D/4D
KNO 2D/4D
TEC 2D/4D
MEC 2D/4D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Racial Abilities:
Undead - Undead die when exposed to sunlight for a full minute. Undead take double damage against fire. The undead spell fails completely on holy ground or the touch of a holy person. Mortals in melee range of undead must make a moderate willpower roll to not run in fear. Undead do not lose die when wounded. Undead do not eat or breathe. Undead can be reraised if they are killed.

Liches are the most successful attempt at immortality through necromancy. A successfully raised lich is raised with all memories intact and do not decay over time. If a lich is killed then it will raised automatically by itï¿½s enchanted phylactery, though this process takes time, often at least a decade.

The spell for creating a lich is very complex, of heroic difficulty. If it goes wrong there are multiple consequences for failure, the second most common being the loss of intelligence. The most common is complete failure of the spell.

Vampires

12 Attribute points at character creation

STR 2D/4D
DEX 2D/4D
PER 2D/4D
KNO 2D/4D
TEC 2D/4D
MEC 2D/4D

CHN 0D/4D
CAS 0D/4D

Racial Abilities:
Undead - Undead die when exposed to sunlight for a full minute. Undead take double damage against fire. The undead spell fails completely on holy ground or the touch of a holy person. Mortals in melee range of undead must make a moderate willpower roll to not run in fear. Undead do not lose die when wounded. Undead do not eat or breathe. Undead can be reraised if they are killed.

Animal transform - Vampires can transform themselves into a specific animal, chosen when they are raised. Bats are the most common choice, dogs/wolves are the second most common choice. Vampires must channel to change form. This counts as an action and usually takes a full combat round. Vampires get advantages to this animal form: flight, enhanced senses, claws, etc, but cannot cast in this form, except to shapeshift back. All banes still apply.

Vampire Banes - Vampires cannot stand to be in melee range of garlic and rosewood. Weapons coated with garlic or made of rosewood do double damage against Vampires.

Blood lust - Vampires must feed on human blood to sustain themselves.

Decay - Vampires decay if they do not feed. If they don't feed for a week they will start to decay, losing 1 pip per attribute per week. When their strength total is gone, they die. Feeding once brings them back to full health.

Some say Vampires are another attempt at immortality. Others say they are the ultimate form of undead minion. Both assertions have truth to them.

The Vampires created a community in a forest around a large lake. They use magic to keep the skies above their castles perpetually dark. They keep humans as livestock in camps, guarded by the Vampiresï¿½ undead servants. This is Sangesylvania.

Vampires are raised with all their memories intact. While difficult to control through enchantment, most Vampires make excellent minions. Vampires choose to be raised before they die, usually choosing their animal form in advance. Vampires tend to know the risks and how to counter them. Something as simple as a large brimmed hat, a cloak and gloves can negate the sunlight bane. Most Vampires were necromancers before they die.

Last edited by Kytross on Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:30 pm; edited 3 times in total

This is an entirely different universe, I'm not crossing this into Star Wars. I'm just using the d6 system, which I find to be wonderfully versatile.

Have you looked at WEG's D6 Fantasy book?_________________"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
Jar-Jar Deb Kaadeb

Thank you for posting these. One of the major problems with D6 Fantasy is that it came up with a race/character creation system so heavily dependent on creation points and advantages/disadvantages that is ignored all of the simple elegance of the Star Wars race system.___________________________________________________
Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.

That's a great way to put it Cheshire. "The simple elegance" describes it perfectly.

I don't know how WEG stumbled upon it, but the D6 system works and works well. I love everything about it. It's skill based, not level based. A 4D weapon is a lethal weapon. It's easy to balance.

Working on that Star Trek conversion really opened my eyes. It went smoothly and the game played out great.

I'm writing out my weapon philosophy right now. I'm making weight requirements a significant factor in choosing gear. Bow damage is based on STR but the skill is under DEX. It's all coming together

If you're doing anything with weapons and weight for Fantasy, take a look at the Wallace Collection. Their museum has an impressive collection of arms and armor presented online with data on each piece. It will surprise you how little some of those items weigh.___________________________________________________
Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.

I'm looking the Wallace Collection over now. Here's what I've done with weaponry so far. This is a work in progress, everything is subject to change and suggestions are welcome.

--------------------

Weapons

I will be discussing general concepts for different weapons in this section, not listing available weapons.

Ranged Weapons

There are no guns, no cannons in this world. Ranged warfare is slings, bows, spears and throwing stars. There are crossbows, but they require a full combat round to reload, unless you want to do a strength check.

Ammo becomes much less efficient now. There are no hundred rounds per blaster pack or even 15 round magazines in pistols.. You are carrying arrows, or bolts, in a quiver. Rocks in a pouch. Or a spear or two.

Wands are in the magic section.

Bows

Archery is a dexterity skill. The character’s capacity to hit their target is always determined by their skill level.

A bow's damage is determined by looking at the strength of the bow and the strength of the character, and using whichever is lower. The strength of the bow is the maximum damage the bow can do. The strength of the character decides how much of the bow’s strength they can use.

For example:

1) A bow has 2D strength, the character has 3D strength. The bow can only has the tensile capacity to add 2D damage to the attack, despite the character being able to do 3D damage. It does 2D damage.

2) A bow has 4D strength with the same character of 3D strength. The bow has the tensile capacity to add 4D damage to the attack, but the character only has the strength to do 3D damage. It does 3D damage.

You can only use a bow that has a maximum of double your character’s strength. If a bow has more than that, then its tensile capacity is too great for your character to pull back the string. So an average human of 2D strength can use a 4D bow, but not a 4D+1 bow.

You can use up to two character points to increase your damage with a bow.

Yes, if you are using character points that round you can use a bow with a strength higher than your character normally could use.

For example: The elf with 2D strength goes to pick up the dwarven short bow with a bow strength of 6D. His player tells the GM that he is using two character points this round to add to the damage of the bow. That brings the effective damage to 4D and the elf can use the bow that round.

Bows can be enchanted to be stronger.

A common enchant, among elves, is to enchant the bow to cast a simple fire spell when channelled into. This can light an arrow on fire before firing.

Drawing an arrow is considered an action.

Arrows

Arrows can add to the effective damage of a shot.

A wooden arrow, or a headless arrow, adds no damage.

Broadhead arrows add to the total damage against unarmored targets.

Piercing arrows add to damage against armor.

Flaming arrows add fire to the damage.

Arrows can be enchanted for a variety of effects.

Debuff arrows work like negative totems, reducing skills or attributes depending on how the shaft of the arrow is enchanted. Of course, if the shaft shatters, the debuff is lost.

Melee Combat

This is the preferred form of warfare for most people. Melee combat is up close and personal. I do not make parry a separate skill, but all Multiple Action Penalties (MAPs) apply.

I’d like to take a moment and talk to you about strength requirements. The first thing you need to know is that heavy weapons, most shields and heavy armor all have strength requirements. And they are all cumulative. So if you have a heavy sword of 3D, a shield of 3D, and a set of full plate at 2D, that's a cumulative weight requirement of 8D. (3D + 3D + 2D = 8D). That requires more strength than the strongest Dwarf or Ogre. You would need magic to pull that off.

If a strength requirement is half your strength, or less, don't add it into your cumulative weight requirement. If you are twice as strong as the item’s weight requirement, then disregard the weight requirement.

If you try and fight with more gear than you have strength to wield than you will face two challenges.
You lose 1 pip to all skills per 1 pip you’re under your strength requirement. If you're under the strength requirement by 1D+1, then all skills are reduced by 1D+1.
You make a stamina check every round. For every stamina check you make in a fight, you roll 1 pip lower for the next stamina check in that fight. Failing a stamina check is considered the same as getting stunned.

This doesn't matter much for a few rounds of combat, but after a full minute and your stamina is at -4D (60 seconds ÷ 5 seconds per combat round = 12 pips = 4D) you’re going to get stunned a lot.

Brawling Knives

Blades that are shorter than 4 inches are considered brawling knives. They are used with the skill brawling and can be specialized under that skill.

Knives/Blades

Knives longer than 4 inches are melee weapons and can be specialized in under melee combat.

Swords

There are dozens of different sword types in the real world. I'm going to simplify it to five specializations under melee combat. You cannot specialize in just 'sword,’ you must choose one, or more, of these five specializations.

Light Sword

Rapiers and the like. These swords average Strength +1D damage, but often have a bonus to their skill specialization: Light Sword, effectively giving them a to hit bonus. The higher the damage, the lower the skill bonus. If you do not have the specialization, you do not get the bonus.

Medium Sword

European short swords and the like. Average Strength +2D damage. No skill bonuses, but no strength requirements.

Heavy Sword

Gladius and the like. Average Strength +3D damage. The weight of the sword adds to the damage. These one handed swords have a strength requirement that equals the damage of the sword. So a +3D sword has a 3D strength requirement, a +4D sword has a 4D strength requirement, etc.

If you do not make the strength requirement reduce all skill rolls by 1 pip per 1 pip short of the requirement. For example: a 2D strength character trying to use a 3D+2 sword would reduce his skill role by 1D+2.

Some, not most, heavy swords can be wielded with two hands. If using the sword with 2 hands the requirement is reduced by half.

Two Handed Swords

2 handed swords generally cannot be wielded with one hand. They have a strength requirement of half their damage. However, they have an average damage of strength +4D, giving them an average strength requirement of 2D

An average human, of 2D strength, would do 6D damage with an average 2 handed sword. That's enough damage to take on an Ogre or a bear.

Attempting to wield a two handed sword with one hand would make the strength requirement the full damage of the weapon, or 4D for an average two handed sword. Dwarves, Ogres, and Minotaurs have been known to wield two handed swords in one hand and a shield in the other.

Great Swords

These are two handed swords made for Ogres and Minotaurs with an minimum damage of 6D. Like other swords, if wielded in two hands the requirement is half the damage dice, if wielded one handed it is the full damage dice.

Bolfard, the great Dwarf warrior, is known to wield a great sword one handed. The thing is taller than he is. He has to carry it on his cart, it's too unwieldy to carry on his person. A lot of people laugh at Bolfard; make fun of the little fighter with the big sword and the silly name. Then they see him fight.

If your dwarf player wants to wield one of these, it should be a reward for a series of quests. If he’s strong enough to wield one he will be doing a minimum of nine damage. That can unbalance your game quickly.

Axes/Hammers

Axes and hammers are separate specializations, but similar. There are three types of each: one hand, two hand and great.

Once you get to 3D damage, weight requirements apply.

I can expound on this if you ask me to.

Short Spears

No, not Britney. Long spears are polearms, short spears are melee combat, and throwing. Short spears are roughly three feet long. They are used primarily as one handed thrusting weapons, sometimes they are swung, depending on the spear head. They serve the dual purpose of being a good throwing weapon, so they are going to be light, sharp and aerodynamic. Damage averages around strength +1D.

Polearms

A separate skill than melee combat. Polearms are designed to keep your opponent out of melee range and average over six feet in length. Polearms have a minimum damage of 3D, and an average damage of strength +4D. Polearms are two handed weapons for all races and cannot be wielded one handed. They are too long to be effective as a one handed weapon, even for the larger races. As they are two handed weapons, the weight requirement is half the damage.

Pikes are thrusting weapons. (+4D average)

Poleaxes are slashing weapons. (+4D average)

Halberds are both. (+3D average)

Staves are common among magic users. They are light weapons, easy to use and can be thoroughly enchanted. (+2D average with a bonus to the specialization skill. The higher the damage the lower the skill bonus. If the character is not specialized in staves, they do not get the bonus.)

Shield Combat

This is a strength skill. Shields are heavy. But a shield, used properly, gives a huge advantage in combat. This skill is used to block, parry and attack with a shield. You have to declare if you are parrying or blocking before you roll.

Parrying with a shield is the same as parrying with a melee weapon. You are turning the weapon aside so it does not hit you. When parrying with a shield, add the shield strength to your skill roll.

Example: Shield Combat 4D + Shield Strength 2D = a roll of 6D

Blocking works the same way, except the character is taking the full damage of the blow on the shield. You add shield strength to the skill check and then you add strength and shield strength to determine damage.

Attacking gives no skill bonus. Additionally, shields can only be used to attack in brawling range. However, shields do stun damage. Damage is strength + shield strength.

The weight requirements for shields is determined by a ratio based on the materials that compose the shield. A 2D wooden shield is going to be heavier than a 2D Bronze shield. In other words, pound for pound, bronze is stronger than wood.

Wood - 1D of strength is 3D of weight. Wooden shields are very cheap, and generally used to defend against projectile weapons, then discarded once melee combat begins. See the movie Braveheart.

Bronze - 1D of strength is 2D of weight. A common starting shield. A 2D shield weighs 4D, so most races would have to equip a zero weight melee weapon.

Iron - 2D of strength is 3D of weight. An Iron shield is a nice upgrade down the line. Common, but expensive.

Steel - 1D of strength is 1D of weight. This is the best you are probably ever going to see. Expensive, usually made by special order, payable in advance.

Titanium - 2D of strength is 1D of weight. You need to make a very difficult knowledge roll to have ever heard of titanium. It is said to be the metal of the Titans themselves.

"Blaster and Dodge. You need to put skill points into Blaster and Dodge."

Feels like I've said that a thousand times during character creation sessions with new players. Blasters are the primary weapon in Star Wars, just like guns are the primary weapon in modern times. The best defense against ranged weapons is to get behind cover. So the defensive skill is dodge.

That has no bearing in a medieval fantasy realm. Ranged combat does not dominate combat. Ranged weapons require more space to carry less ammo and take longer to reload. They are still useful, but are not as useful as a melee weapon. Every player does not need to take Blaster and Dodge. Dodging from a melee attack isn't going to be as effective as it is from a ranged attack.

What skills do they need to take? I don't know. I haven't play tested it yet. However, I have some ideas.

A melee skill. Polearms, melee combat, brawling, something that will allow you to fight hand-to-hand.

A ranged skill. I expect Throwing will be a popular choice, as it is the cheapest option.

So you're using an Aristotelian approach to ranged combat, or you're using GM's Fiat for ranged combat?

The Chinese repeating crossbow, the chu-ko-nu. The aklys. The atl-atl. Javelins. Darts. Slings. Longbows and shortbows, both composite and not, both symmetrical and not. Gastraphetes. Arbalests. Ballistae. The Scorpion. (Though the last few are siege weaponry.) Rocks, for that matter.

People have always been interested in staying out of harm's way while killing their fellow man, and have gotten downright good at it. Ranged combat is not a firearms thing.

Ranged combat can and does dominate combat. In a fantasy world, particularly if there's magic users throwing various elemental spells at range and other nastiness, it'll emphasize the entire ranged combat thing even more. In fact, depending on the precision of such magic attacks, you'll get advanced small unit tactics much earlier than you might get otherwise - particularly if magic can help with communication and orientation.

So you're using an Aristotelian approach to ranged combat, or you're using GM's Fiat for ranged combat?

The Chinese repeating crossbow, the chu-ko-nu. The aklys. The atl-atl. Javelins. Darts. Slings. Longbows and shortbows, both composite and not, both symmetrical and not. Gastraphetes. Arbalests. Ballistae. The Scorpion. (Though the last few are siege weaponry.) Rocks, for that matter.

People have always been interested in staying out of harm's way while killing their fellow man, and have gotten downright good at it. Ranged combat is not a firearms thing.

Ranged combat can and does dominate combat. In a fantasy world, particularly if there's magic users throwing various elemental spells at range and other nastiness, it'll emphasize the entire ranged combat thing even more. In fact, depending on the precision of such magic attacks, you'll get advanced small unit tactics much earlier than you might get otherwise - particularly if magic can help with communication and orientation.

First off, great examples and good points.

Second, I don't think we're at a disagreement as much as we are saying the same thing in different ways. I am not saying that ranged combat could not dominate an encounter. Though on rereading I realize my wording choice was poor and I can see why you would think I meant that. Rest assured I do not intend to make being a ranger or archer a poor choice through manipulating the rules.

I am saying that ranged weapons are not the dominant, or most prevalent weapons, like they are today. The gun is the go to weapon today, while the sword was the go to weapon in medieval times.

Could a man with a bow kill a man with a sword? Yes. Could a man with a sword kill a man with a bow? Yes. Is it foolish to try and draw an arrow on someone who is attacking you with a melee weapon within twenty-one feet of you? Yes, very foolish. A gun can still be an effective weapon within twenty one feet, as long as you already have it drawn and loaded, safety off. That's the bow equivalent of having an arrow notched and the bow drawn back.

Does all of this play out in the rules of gameplay in Star Wars? In my experience it has. I haven't made any major rule changes. In fact, we can play test with bows and swords and physical armor, we have the stats for them direct from WEG. I have come up with guidelines to balance out gear, but my intention there is to find balance, not to make one form of combat better than another.

By eliminating guns/blasters, we've changed the dynamic of combat. I don't have to enforce this by GM fiat, the D6 system is already set up to handle this change. Blaster is no longer an available skill, and therefore most every violent encounter will no longer be decided by ranged weapons, so Dodge is no longer as important as it was. It's still important, but I no longer have to warn new players on the importance of the Dodge skill.

If I've effectively gotten my point across then you really don't need to continue reading as I assess the use of ranged weaponry in history and why and when it became the weapon of choice.

Throughout history, before gunpowder, the majority of armies were made up of melee fighters and cavalry. Even at Hastings, where the Archers were a deciding factor, they were only a quarter of William's army. Granted, after Crecy, in 1346 AD, the english longbow did become a major factor in warfare, but that was after Edward required all englishmen to practice archery, banning other recreational sports. Also, there is an overlap of the introduction of gunpowder to Europe and the dominance of the English longbow. There were gunpowder cannons used in the battle of Crecy.

Bear in mind that the longbow could only penetrate a breastplate at 20 meters or less. Add in a decent shield and you've negated much of the advantage of ranged weaponry. Longbow heavy victories, like Crecy and Agincourt, were defensive battles, were the enemy was charging the longbow men. Even Edward III, the man who introduced the longbow as a major weapon at Crecy, considered archers to be most effective at softening up the enemy troops before melee began. That had been their traditional role in armies of relatively equal size.

And yes, the Longbow was a more accurate weapon at a longer range than a gunpowder firearm, making them more lethal, until the widespread use of rifled barrels on breech loaders in the nineteenth century. To their advantage, firearms do not have the strength requirement of bows, and did enough damage to armor to eventually render armor obsolete. It is the sound of a firearm that is a significant force multiplier, making gunpowder a less lethal but more effective weapon than a longbow for two hundred years. Production time of ammunition was also a factor that favored firearms from early on.

The rifled barrel, cartridges, and magazines/revolvers have made ranged combat the prevalent form of combat, and in turn, reduced melee combat to a secondary status. We no longer carry swords into combat. A knife is at best a secondary weapon system, if not a tertiary.

I haven't covered magic yet. Each time I think I have it figured out I find another kink I need to work out. But as I said in the introductory post, I want it to be rare through most of the world. I also want it to be balanced, as wizards in other fantasy games I've played tend to dominate the end game and stink in the beginning game.